Another Scene Deleted from OotP
by Drummers
Summary: ONE SHOT-- Follows A Scene Deleted from OotP. Lupin has a word with Molly while showing signs of being under influence of the waxing moon.


A/N: Thank you, everyone for reviewing A Scene Deleted from OotP. I'll react a bit on what a few of you have written.  
  
In a review to A Scene Deleted from OotP, aihjah commented that Sirius's mood swung around a bit quickly. This is true and deliberately so; he's drunk a little, which makes him more likely to display his emotions.  
  
Lossenrhos thought Harry wouldn't avoid Sirius; well, he's slightly pissed off with all adults, including Sirius and Remus. He's not really avoiding him; he just can't be bothered to seek the company of adults. Ron and Hermione come visit him anyway. Plus, I know all too well Sirius is a proud guy (and childish, if you ask me), but he doesn't stoop when he's asking Harry to spend more time with him. He's merely voicing his unhappiness with the situation. He'd like to see Harry more often, he wanted to ever since escaping Azkaban, and now Harry's in his house, and doesn't visit him. As for Lupin; ehehe. He's not the kind of man to get angry very easily, but when it comes to the well-being of his friends, he'd do anything. He knows Sirius is likely to grab a bottle for comfort when he's upset, and he gets upset over being in Grimmauld Place and being alone all the time. Sirius does, deliberately, avoid the company of people and locks himself up in his room with Buckbeak. That's canon.  
  
Some people insist that Lupin's and Sirius's behaviour was entirely Out Of Chracter; I insist that it isn't. There's a very likely theory on the web on Sirius's drinking problems, and it certainly explains to me why he would behave the way he did in Grimmauld Place and why Mrs Weasley reacted to Sirius the way SHE did most of the time. Lupin also isn't too OOC in my opinion. Believe me, I know these characters well enough. I could write psychology books on how they would react under certain circumstances and why exactly, even if that sounds pathetic. Lupin gets really worked up when people threaten his friends or are careless about them. Specially when it's nearly full moon, a factor of importance to keep in mind for the next scene.  
  
One last thing on characterisation; in this scene, you get to see Tonks. It's not cheery old Tonks, it's worried, serious Tonks, who shows her face now and again when she's aware some people need her like that. In this case it's Lupin who happens to need her support.  
  
Anyway, here's another scene I wouldn't want to keep from you all.  
  
Another Scene Deleted from OotP  
  
Lupin returned to the kitchen to find the Weasleys, minus Ron, seated at the large oak table. Mundungus Fletcher was also present, smoking his pipe and talking confidentially with Fred and George. Mrs Weasley was knitting something Lupin was certain of would be a trademark Weasley jumper.  
  
"Molly," he said earnestly, sitting down oposite her. "I'd like to talk to you about Sirius."  
  
Everyone had fallen quiet and looked from Lupin to Mrs Weasley, who had stopped knitting but hadn't yet looked up from her work.  
  
"What would you like to tell her?" asked Fred, grinning a little.  
  
"That you're secretly in love with him?" added George with an identical grin.  
  
Mr Weasley shot them a warning glance, but for a half second, the left corner of Lupin's lips had twitched into a small smile. "No, not that, Fred, George," he said.  
  
"What then?" asked Mrs Weasey, finally looking up at him. Her face was a little red  
  
"I'd like to ask you to do me a favour," Lupin said, resting his elbows on the table, his hands calmly folded.  
  
Mrs Weasley raised an eyebrow. "A favour concerning Sirius Black?"  
  
Lupin nodded, and shot a glance at the Weasley children. "Perhaps this is not very suited for them to hear," he said.  
  
Fred and George protested a little, but the could see that Lupin was very serious, and after a bit of growling, they and Ginny left the kitchen. Only to run up the stairs to fetch their Extendable Ears.  
  
Lupin, well aware of the Extendables, charmed the door with an Inpenetrable Charm and turned back to face Mrs Weasley.  
  
"You know he's turning to the bottle," he said, coming directly to the point. Mrs Weasley flushed a little more scarlet at his direct approach.  
  
"Yes, and he shouldn't, seeing – " she began, but Lupin interrupted her by raising a hand. She shut her mouth abruptly.  
  
"Will you please let me finish what I want to say?" Lupin asked, and she nodded curtly. "Very well, thank you, Molly." He shifted a little in his chair, a little uncomfortable.  
  
"You know he's done it before," he went on, looking from Mr to Mrs Weasley and back. Mr Weasley nodded seriously, Mrs Weasley merely raised an eyebrow again. "You know, that, in this situation, he's doing it again, because it reminds him of why he started doing it in the first place."  
  
"Who started doing what?" Tonks said behind Lupin. She had just entered the kitchen and only caught his last words. Lupin went a little scarlet and cleared his throat, turning to face her.  
  
"You know, Sirius, drinking," he said, shrugging a little.  
  
"Oh. Yes," said Tonks, her face falling. "I've heard about that, allright. It was a right old schandal in the family. But me mom told me he'd only gone to drink 'cause of his parents, specially his own mom, and she WAS a nightmare, indeed. Drank as well, as a matter of fact," she added, as an after-thought.  
  
"Exactly," said Lupin, relieved at the ease with which Tonks had taken the most painful part of the story off his hands. "That's the point. Sirius has never had a good example when it comes to drinking habits. You shouldn't blame him."  
  
"And in how much does this have to do with me?" Mrs Weasley aksed, while Tonks sank into a chair next to Lupin. He shifted nervously in his chair again.  
  
"You see, Sirius drank back then because he was displeased with his sitution, because he hated his mother," Lupin tried to explain further. "He never liked any mother, except perhaps Lily, because she wasn't trying to change him or order him around."  
  
Mrs Weasley still seemed sceptical. "And?" she said.  
  
Lupin frowned. "Don't you see?" he said. "Without knowing or perhaps wanting it, you've been bemothering Sirius. That's one of the apparent reasons you don't get on with him too well. Also, of course, because you're not really trying to hide your dissatisfaction with his drinking habits."  
  
He let his words sink in for a moment, but he was disappointed to see Mrs Weasley's facial expression hadn't changed. He made ready to say something about it, when Snape strode in.  
  
"Evening," he said shortly, looking around the kitchen. His thin lips twisted into a small smile when he saw the occupants of the kitchen had slightly frozen in their positions when he had come in. He also noted that the back of Lupin's neck had gone a little red.  
  
"What is it?" he said maliciously. "Someone died?"  
  
Lupin slowly turned around. "No," he said, with difficulty, Snape could see, because he was obviously trying to keep his growing anger under control. "We were dicussing Sirius's situation."  
  
"Oh," Snape said, his eyes glittering. "I see. Well, I think I have to disappoint you. Not a soul can teach an old dog new drinking habits."  
  
Lupin got up so quickly, his chair fell on the ground. He was shaking with surpressed with rage. "Don't say things like that about him," he hissed, stepping closer to Snape.  
  
It was as if Snape had shrunk a bit, and Lupin towered over him. Calmly, Tonks got up from her chair and walked over to him.  
  
"Shush now, Remus," she said softly. "I know it's the moon, and I know you care heaps about Sirius, but I also know it's not worth it. Some people are just too shit-hearted to care." She shot Snape a dirty look.  
  
Snape took a step back and handed Tonks a vial. He looked sourly before he swept out of the kitchen, his heavy cloak swishing behind him, nearly caught by the closing door.  
  
Lupin breathed in deeply a few times before he let himself be put back into his chair by Tonks. She handed him the vial, which contained Wolfsbane Potion. "Don't let him get at you, Remus," Tonks warned him.  
  
Mrs Weasley and the others had watched in silence, but when Lupin looked back at her, he could see she got his point.  
  
"No one makes my friends miserable," he said, taking the cork off the vial and gulping down its contents, grimacing. Mrs Weasley nodded stiffly.  
  
"No one, Remus," Tonks assured him, patting his arm slightly. "No one." 


End file.
